Swindon smashes Beat the Street record

Swindonians have officially entered the record books with a barnstorming Beat the Street performance which saw the town clock up 313,353 miles.

Published: Wednesday, 31st October 2018

The game, delivered by Intelligent Health on behalf of Sport England and Swindon Borough Council, started on Wednesday, 12 September and finished on Wednesday, 24 October.

During that time, 32,488 people walked, ran and cycled a distance greater than that from Earth to the moon. They beat the record of 297,000 miles set by Reading in 2016.

Local schools and organisations created teams and competed against each other to see who could travel the furthest to win some fantastic prizes.

The community teams who ended the game with the most points were, in first place, Swindon Home Educators, Swindon Street Trotters in second place and Swindon Stragglers in third.

Winners of the Fitness category, which was made up of organised running or cycling clubs, were Swindon Parkrun, with the Wichelstowe Runners and Slinn Allstars coming in second and third, respectively.

Councillor Brian Ford, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults, said: “I would like to issue a heartfelt congratulations to each and every person who has taken part in Beat the Street – what a brilliant success this initiative has been.

“To think that we are a town of record breakers makes me very proud indeed. It just goes to show what can be achieved when we all come together to get fit.

“If you’ve enjoyed Beat the Street, please keep up the great work and continue to build on the foundations that you’ve made for your health.”

At a special celebration event at the Country Ground on Friday, 2 November, representatives from the winning teams will pick up their prizes and celebrate the end of the seven-week game.

The celebration event will feature fun activities for families to help keep them moving after the game has finished, and is open to everyone.

Players are encouraged to keep hold of their cards as the Beat the Street organisers plan to encourage residents to stay active through further events and initiatives in the coming months.